Aksel Hennie Movies

The Norwegian historical crusader Max Manus -- who lived from 1914 to 1996 -- retains household name status among Scandinavians for his acts of daunting courage during the Second World War, but curiously, few non-historians outside of Northern Europe have heard of him. This adventure epic from co-directors Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg (Bandidas) represents the first mainstream effort to dramatize Manus' efforts in feature form with elaborate re-creations of his heroic exploits. The bulk of the action spans April 9, 1940 through May 8, 1945, or the period of Nazi Germany's Norwegian occupation. Despite an almost complete lack of formal education, Max (Aksel Hennie) grows completely outraged when Norway falls to Germany and permits the presence of an occupying puppet government within two months. In response, Manus bands together with some other indignant Norwegians and promptly forms a resistance outfit known as the "Rognes Organization" -- a group dedicated to collecting weapons, disseminating anti-Nazi propaganda, and exuding a fighting spirit. Later, when Manus is captured by the Germans, he makes not one but two astonishing escapes from the clutches of the Nazis, with his life intact -- demonstrating, hands-down, that he has no fear. Following a period of saboteur training in Scotland, Manus -- incredibly -- slips right back into Norway, and commandeers a mission to sink Nazi supply ships in an Oslo harbor nighttime raid; though successful, it draws nasty acts of vengeance from a psychopathic Gestapo leader Sigfried Fehmer (Ken Duken) -- an event that turns Sigfried and Max into arch enemies with the bitterest hatred for one another. Manus' heroic efforts for the liberation of Norway continue undaunted, however. Thomas Nordseth-Tiller authored the screenplay, reportedly taking a slight degree of liberty with historical facts. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

An aimless Oslo twentysomething attempts to reconcile the errors of his past while simultaneously taking control of his future in actor-turned-director Aksel Hennie's semi-autobiographical drama. David is a 25-year old with a broken family and little prospect for the future. Rather than face the stark reality of home life with a terminally ill father, a handicapped brother, and a distant mother, David spends most of his time hanging around an inner-city gym populated by small-time criminals. As David's father lies dying, the gym is raided by police, and David is taken to jail. In a last-ditch effort to make his way home and bid his father farewell, David betrays his friends. Though he does make it home, it's too little too late and David's father has already died, leaving his grieving mother unable to care for his ailing brother. As David comes to the realization that his family is the most important thing in life, his former friends hit back at him with a vengeance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Norwegian filmmaker Morten Tyldum makes his directorial debut with the romantic comedy drama Buddy about a group of twentysomethings living in Oslo. Pals Kristoffer (Nicolai Cleve Broch) and Geir (Aksel Hennie) share a downtown apartment with the web designer Stig Inge (Anders Baasmo Christiansen). While Kristoffer and Geir enjoy videotaping their lives for fun, Stig prefers to stay inside the apartment hidden from the rest of the world. After Kristoffer breaks up with his girlfriend Elizabeth (Janne Formoe), he and Geir are hired at a local television station for a reality show called "Kristoffer's Video Diary." The show shakes up their previously ordinary lives and ignites a romance involving their new roommate Henriette (Pia Tjelta). Buddy won the audience award at the 2003 Karlovy Vary Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi